Overwhelm Me (10 page)

I undress in my closet. I slide the dress over my head, and to my surprise, it’s fits perfectly. The gown is floor length, the neck dips down to my cleavage, and the material feels cool on my skin.

I step out, and Livey stares at me with her hazel eyes wide.

“Oh my goodness! You look amazing!” Livey puts both of her hands to her mouth. I blush at my friend’s sweet words. “Okay, Cinderella. Let’s get your hair and makeup done quickly, so you can go on your date with Prince Charming.”

Twenty minutes later, I don’t even recognize myself. The person that looks at me from the mirror should be walking the red carpet in Hollywood right now. Livey has done an outstanding job on my makeup and hair. She has swept my hair into a half ponytail with cascades of curls down my back. It’s very simple, but it’s very beautiful. She decided to pull my hair back to make my dress “pop,” whatever that means. My makeup is perfection. Livey lightly dusted my face with translucent mineral powder. She then applied a black eyeliner around my eyelids and used different eye shadows to give me smoky eyes. Then she put on some mascara, swept my cheekbones with a rose colored blush and put on an apricot color on my lips. I put on my silver bangle bracelets and my silver pumps. I turn to Livey, hold my hands out, and ask, “Well, how do I look?”

“Allie, you look…breathtaking,” Livey whispers. She has never seen me like this. Actually, I’ve never seen me like this, but I like it. I hug my friend and thank her for her handiwork. I walk out of my bedroom and down the hall. Before I get to the living room, I take in a deep breath and hold my head high. I step into the living room, and Donovan stands. His eyes are hooded, and he gives me a crooked smile. He walks to me and takes my hands into his.

“Wow. You are stunning. Absolutely stunning,” Donovan says as he pulls my hands to his lips and kisses my knuckles.

“I can say the same for you,” I whisper. Donovan looks amazing. He’s wearing a black suit, a crisp white linen shirt with the first two buttons undone, and smart black shoes. His face is cleanly shaven, and I reach my hand to touch his jaw line. His face leans into my touch, and Donovan closes his eyes. When he opens them, his blue eyes are burning with desire. I feel that electricity between us again, and my insides clench. “I can’t believe you bought this for me.

Thank you, it’s beautiful!”

“I’m just glad my sister was there to help me.” He plants a swift kiss on my lips, and it takes everything in me not to jump on him right here, right now. I hear him gasp lightly, and I know he’s feeling the same way. He holds his arm out for me to take, and I slip my hand through. I look back at Livey and smile. She gives me the biggest grin she can and tells us, “Have fun, you two. Enjoy your night.” I’m pretty sure Livey knows that either Donovan is coming home with me tonight, or I’m going home with him. I wave to her as Donovan opens the front door. We walk arm and arm towards his BMW, and he opens the passenger door for me. I slide into the car, being extra careful about my dress, not wanting to get it dirty. Once I’m in he shuts the door and strolls over to his side. He gets in with such grace, I have to envy him. I’m just hoping to get through the night without tripping on my dress.

Donovan starts the engine and turns to look at me. He gives me that sideways grin again, and I return it. My Greek god takes my face into his hands and leans in to kiss me. I have been looking forward to this all day, and I feel my pulse start to race. The effect Donovan has on me is insane. He completely overwhelms me, and I love it. When he’s around, all I see is him, and when he’s not there, I want him to be. As his lips take mine, I sigh into his mouth. I have missed those lips, even though they were all over me just last night. I hope they are on me after dinner. Our tongues caress each other, and Donovan lets out a groan. He pulls away first and says, “At this rate, we will never get to the Sun Dial.” I pout, and he kisses my nose. “Don’t worry, baby doll, dinner is not all I had in mind for the night.” Donovan winks as he puts his car in reverse, and we take off down the road to the restaurant. As we ride down the street, he puts his hand on my thigh. In response, I place my hand on top of his.

“You look absolutely beautiful,” Donovan says with a sideways smile on his face. I flush at his compliment.

“This really is such a gorgeous dress. You said your sister helped you pick it out?” I ask, still astonished by his thoughtfulness.

“Yes, Megan actually picked it out. I sat in the chair meant for the guys that have to come with their wives. My little sister adores fashion. When she was little, she used to draw all kinds of outfits for her dolls and then try to sew them. She wasn’t very good at sewing,” Donovan chuckles at his memory.

“Does Megan live in Atlanta, or is she visiting from Savannah?”

“She’s actually visiting her boyfriend in Macon. But she brought him to Atlanta today to shop.

They are heading back to Macon in the next hour or so.” Donovan rolls his eyes. I wonder if he’s annoyed with his sister shopping or her boyfriend. I assume it’s the latter. “Megan goes to school for advertising in Savannah. That was our dad’s choice. The vineyard already makes around ten million a year, but my father insists that she have a degree, especially if it will benefit the business.”

“Ten million dollars from making wine?” I sit, amazed that someone could make so much money off of grapes.

Donovan laughs. “Well, yes, a lot of the money is on wine. But there are also weddings, tours, and wine tasting. There is a lot of money to be made from those things alone. I can’t wait for you to see the property. It’s so peaceful and beautiful. Hence, the reason people like to get married there almost every weekend.”

“I can’t wait to see it, Donovan,” I am suddenly excited to go with Donovan to see his family next weekend.

Donovan takes my hand to his mouth again and kisses my fingertips. I swoon over him. My pulse picks up a beat when I realize we are in the parking lot of the Westin. “The restaurant’s in here?” I say, looking at the huge hotel.

Donovan covers his mouth to try and hide his smirk. “Yes baby. Come. I’ll show you.” He steps out the car and comes to open my door. I take his hand, hoping I don’t fall flat on my face in these heels. Donovan then pulls me close, so our bodies are touching, and kisses me gently.

His proximity alone is enough to make me want him, now. He pulls away far too quickly. “Let’s get inside before I decide to take you on the hood of my car.”

I inhale sharply, taken aback by his words, as well as extremely turned on. I run my finger along his jawline and feel his smooth skin. “You know, we can skip dinner.” I need him, more than I need the air in my lungs.

Donovan gazes at me through his long dark lashes, his expression lustful. “Don’t tempt me, Allison Marshall, or I might take you up on the offer.” I feel my muscles pull inside my belly.

Donovan takes my hands and locks his fingers around mine. “But first, we need to eat. Come.”

He takes me through the glass doors of the Westin.

I have never been in a place like this before. The lobby itself is sleek and modern. There are huge white columns from the floor to the ceiling with grey leather seats wrapped around the bottom of them. The floor is a glossy granite, and there are lots of welcome desks with friendly people smiling at us. I’m almost sure the women are enjoying the sight of Donovan in his suit.

My man smiles and nods politely to the staff, and I think every one of them blushes, including one of the men.

Donovan walks past the lobby to the elevators. He presses the up button and turns to face me.

I look into his blue eyes, and I see some unknown emotion. I cock my head to the side and look at him, puzzled. Donovan gazes into my eyes, and the blue seems to sparkle, but he looks scared at the same time. How odd. “What are you thinking about?” I ask.

“Just how it’s been forever since I’ve been on a date. I’m actually pretty nervous, to be honest.

But…it’s weird, but I feel so comfortable with you. I guess it’s a mix of emotions, really.”

An unpleasant thought crosses my mind and before I can stop myself, I ask,” Did you bring Claire here?”

Donovan’s brilliant smile turns into a hard line. “Yes, but only once. She brought me here actually, a really long time ago. I’m really not trying to think about her. She’s history to me.”

I look down at my shoes. Me and my big mouth. I don’t want to ruin this evening. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, but you do know I will have questions at some point in time about her.” I don’t want to lie to him and say I will never mention her name again, because there are questions that I want answered, maybe not tonight, but someday.

The door to the elevator opens, and we are the only ones in when the doors close. Donovan presses the 73rd button. The elevator is made of glass, and as we ascend, we can see the skyline of Atlanta start to appear. It’s awe inspiring. The skyscrapers are lit up against the twilight sky as the sun begins to make it’s journey down. I hear Donovan sigh, and we turn to look at each other at the same time. He has a tortured look on his handsome face. My heart twists, knowing I am responsible for it.

“I know you will have questions, and I will eventually answer them, but right now, I am concentrating on you and you alone. Allie, you consume my mind. You are the only thing I have thought about all day long, and I don’t want memories of Claire to taint our evening.”

I give Donovan a tight lipped smile. I know he’s right. We’ve only begun seeing each other, and I want him to tell me his past when he is ready. Right now, however, isn’t the time. The evening is about us, not Claire. My worry is that I am so damn stubborn sometimes, I have to question everything. I don’t want to pry into his business, but will I be able to stop myself? Everything that Matt did, I questioned, but he gave me good reason. Weird numbers on his phone, texts from girls, and staying out all night were some of the ways he made me feel insecure Then after we had sex, I found out that he was still fucking Holly. I inwardly sigh. Donovan must feel my tension because he stands behind me and starts to rub my bare shoulders with his skilled fingers. We stand there silently, watching the skyline of Georgia’s biggest city. He places a kiss on my neck under my ear. “Let’s let tonight just be about us, okay?” he whispers into my ear.

“Okay. I’m good with that,” I murmur to him. Yes, tonight is about us and our budding relationship. I grab one of his hands with my own and run my fingers along his knuckles. Before I know it, the door opens, and another couple gets on the elevator. We nod to each other but stay quiet the rest of the way to the 73rd floor. The doors open to the swankiest restaurant I have ever seen. There are three levels to this heavenly place known as the Sun Dial. The lower level has beautifully laid out tables with fresh white linen and empty wine glasses. The entire wall is made of glass, giving the patrons a magnificent view of the skyline. It also occurs to me that the restaurant is slowly rotating. The bar is on the second level, and it’s stocked with many fine liquors and wines. The top level is an observatory where you can look through telescopes.

I hear a smooth jazz melody throughout the restaurant. The entire place is a brilliant piece of artwork with golds and blues and reds.

Donovan takes me by the waist and leads me to the hostess stand. The young girl behind the stand raises her eyebrows at Donovan and gawks at him. Her blonde hair being pulled back in a ponytail gives a full view of the redness in her cheeks. Donovan seems unimpressed.

“Reservations for Callahan,” he says curtly.

“Uh, of course, Dr. Callahan. Welcome to the Sun Dial. Let me show you to your table.” She steps from behind the stand with two menus and walks us to a private table for two. Donovan holds my chair out for me, and I sit. Donovan sits, scoots his chair close to me, and waves the hostess off. “If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know. My name is Heather.” The hostess stalks back to the stand, obviously hurt that the man of her dreams has a girl on his arm. I smirk at the thought.

Our server is prompt and is also male. Thank goodness! I don’t have to worry about another woman falling all over herself trying to get Donovan to notice her. The waiter’s black hair is slicked back, and he is a bit on the short side, but his face looks friendly. “Good evening, My name is Maxwell. I’ll be serving you tonight. Shall I start you with a bottle of our favorite local wines, Callahan’s Pinot Noir?”

Donovan and I look at each other and grin. “Yes, that sounds fantastic, Maxwell. Please bring us a bottle.” Maxwell nods and walks swiftly to the bar to fetch our wine.

Donovan takes my hands. “I have plans for after dinner, if you are free.”

My heart skips its normal beat, and I smile shyly at this dashing man. “The only plans I have are with you, so whatever you have in mind, I’m up for it.”

Donovan leans to kiss me, but Maxwell interrupts us by turning our wine glasses over. He removes the cork and begins to pour the red alcohol into our glasses. Our server puts the bottle on the table and asks if we are ready to order. Donovan tells him that we need a few minutes.

Maxwell leaves, off to serve his next table.

“I do believe our waiter was checking you out,” Donovan narrows his eyes in the direction of Maxwell.

“Oh, whatever,” I blush at the thought. I think to myself, he was probably checking out my date and not me.

Donovan shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “Now, where were we?” Donovan gives me a sly smile and leans back towards me. “Oh, yes, right here.” His lips are on mine, filled with passion and underlying lust. I’m shocked he would kiss me this way in such a posh place, but after two seconds, I don’t care where we are. I reach up to touch his face and hold his lips to mine.

This time I pull away first, breathless and embarrassed, hoping no one saw us. The restaurant is dimly lit, so no one seems to notice us. I shake my head to compose myself, and I notice that Donovan looks cool and collected. Damn him for being so beautiful. He cuts his eyes to me and playfully sticks his tongue out at me. I giggle, unable to stay mad at him for anything.